We see the world in shrink-wrap.
What does it to mean to you?
One man's wrong is another man's
right. We all have a say.
Get on up to the podium brothers and sisters.
Sing your song of America!

Bonfires burn histories of retribution.
Time has come full circle. It's time to blow your horns
of the insanity and of officials who improvise policy.
My friends we need to deal with this repression
duplicity, and get back to some simple truths:

My brothers and sisters,
I come to you today from the University
of Exasperation, I'm sorry to say
I flunked out -- blew whistles of accountability
at lectures in corporate theology
and mathematic alchemy.
Their accountants don't know what they're adding.

I failed seminars given by professors
who knew no value save for themselves or anyone else.
They wanted to me learn about the goodness of pornography, sex, drugs and all that rock n roll they call reality.

They wanted me to know children know nothing.
We should show them the way to the truth and the life.
I say children do know it all. Let them be and sing their songs,

I'm proud to say I'm throwing a celebration
let's celebrate with a cookout, barbecue, let's jam
with our own planet rock n roll conspiracy,
and jive until we arrive at the silver derivation
called euphoria.

We can make it without the universities who teach such
things as greed, lust, power and with ‘corporate autocracy’
and priests who talk of lustful pleasures.
Their brothers can barely save themselves
fighting wars of anger and hunger from Africa,
to the shores of Brazil. Here they can barely
get to the monastery, for the fences that block the hills.

We know about you; the Milken's, Lynchers,
and other corporate monsters, who paid policy makers
to steal the dimes from our elder’s stores!

To the priest with the lease on the edge of the beach who closes his curtains when local kids come to play,
To all the politicians, who dance on their heels warm and fuzzy
and cheat their constituents. They say got the love for us. But they haven't shown it unconditionally.
I'm attending their parties no more!

Come on over to my house, we’ll celebrate!
With goodness, love, understanding, and communication.
Tell stories of hope miners who brought light
when darkness fell in the caves of stupidity.
With a little knowledge added a little spice of wisdom
You got a nice stew.

All, I'm saying is be real for awhile--
see how it feels, let your wheels
of hate stop spinning, and deal in the real.

Get down my brothers and sisters and find a new plan.
2

Can you dig this vibe?
Cool your heals, speak your mind, take
a load of sister, be a stone my brother
get down and get on up.
Sing your song of America.

Sheep! We are all sheep! I've been a liar and a thief.
I've hated my fellow man, hurt family and friends
and done wrong things. I've been condemned.
Now I live my life in karmic vacillation.

There's a war out there in this sprawl
of our nation as well as within our own souls.
Things aren't as cool as they're saying.
Catch the politicians, left-wingers,
right-wingers and other policy chickens
who are doing their own thing.
Mr and Mrs Scam go buy a farm
live off the land; than get to back to me
when the rent comes due.

We're the dollar bills. They are the collectors.
As a matter of principle,
I hereby rescind my currency
and devalue their register.

Fight them through nonviolent means—
The gun, the bow, and the arrow won’t do any good
And the bomb is overused. Use your minds and out think them
They won’t know what to do!

Refuse payment of loyalty is all I'm saying.
If the politico isn’t your kind of man,
you have freedom of conscious—
let him know where you stand!
3

You have a voice. You have a right to life
to live as you want to live it
as long as it's within the guidelines
of humanity and decency. You can keep
all the score sheets you want.

No measure or semblance of reason
can explain this new anxiety called “social impatience.”
Are we so bored, lost, and dumbed down
we've become apathetic?

We've let our leaders take away our individualism
in the of name occupied freedom
just so a policy wonk can tell us
he was minding business for his constituents.

The inner fringe rules from the beltway
They've stripped foundations bare
of what this country wants to be.
The outer fringe runs their gauntlet,
overcoming obstacles just so they can survive.

The chef’s in the kitchen cooking gumbo
for half the worlds starving people.
America the land of opportunity
is barely getting by, our kids are eating
out of garbage cans behind the corner deli
wearing ragged shoes.

The revolution of our forefathers echo
in our streets today. This is not the America
I learned about in school!
Leaders of today seem out of touch,
as if they were non-American.
Go back to college and relearn the golden rule.
4

Voice your opinion, my friend,
get up with your feelings
tell us what you know.

I protest, I'm sick of games, blames and shaming,
this oblivious distinction of supremacy.
I'm not saying separatism
is completely understood or wrong.
It's a viable alternative that needs more study.

We're losing our identity in this vortex called ‘societal renewal.’
Everything is a blur with all these right and wrong songs.
We need to keep our minds strong
and our hearts and souls stronger.

Universal judges are watching
what the wonks are doing to their people.
For our rulers who know no value,
I wish them no ill will.
History will judge them accordingly!

The town halls are under new management
rejoin the parties of the Republican – Democratic
eclectic that includes the independent too.

You have to get down to get up,
come to the square, see the parade,
have a root beer float and a hot dog
and stop your charades. We want to know you!

My America and your America
are one and the same.

The following poem was originally written around 1999 and revised this year. It is the basis for my Ebook American Lyricon: A Poet Sings of America. I'm proud to say the book should be in print in about month or so. Opinions and critiques are welcome.